Sir Claude MacDonald had insisted at the beginning of
his command that the Fu must be held ‘at all hazards’.
Apart from the shelter it provided for Chinese Christians,
the artificial hills in the palace grounds overlooked the
east wall of the British Legation and covered the rear of
the Spanish, Japanese and French Legations. If the Fu
were to fall, those garrisons would surely follow.

Morrison had made many sorties across no man’s land
to visit the Fu since 20 June, often accompanying Captain
Strouts on his tours of inspection. For safer access, a stone
barricade had been erected slightly south of the British
Legation’s main entrance and a deep cutting gouged into
either bank of the canal. On the eastern side a second stone
barricade led to the entrance of the Fu. Once inside, there
was a scene of desolation, deprivation and danger. Many of

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